Diesel engines are the preferred means of producing torque for use in a wide range of applications ranging from uses in transportation, such as heavy duty trucks, trains, off-road agricultural and mining equipment to the large scale production of on-site electrical power to name a few. Diesel engines are virtually unmatched in power to mass ratios, and the relative safety of their fuel makes diesel engines almost the only choice for use in applications that require mobile, dependable and safe sources of high torque.
Because of the type of fuel that they combust and because of their design, diesel engines invariably produce soot. Soot itself is a combination of predominately carbon particles and droplets of liquid, including hydrocarbons. In general, the larger the diesel engine, the more soot it produces. Accordingly, soot is a problem with all diesel engines especially large diesel engines such as those found in large trucks, trains, boats, electrical power generators, off-road construction, mining and agricultural equipment, and the like.
In order to limit the amount of soot released into the atmosphere, most industrialized nations regulate the amount of soot that a given engine can release into the atmosphere. Industry has responded by creating various systems for removing or at least reducing the amount of soot released into the atmosphere by diesel engines. Many of these systems can have a negative impact on fuel efficiency of the engine to which they are attached. In some cases, the mechanical integrity of the engine and the use of such systems add to the cost of producing and operating machines that use diesel engines. Aspects of the invention described herein provide materials, devices and methods of making and using the same that help to efficiently reduce the amount of soot released into the atmosphere by operating diesel engines.